A SUPER slimmer from Swanage who lost a staggering seven stone and now inspires others to lose the pounds was shortlisted for a national competition.

Jay Fenney, 28, who runs the Slimming World group at the Mowlem Theatre, was one of 30 consultants from across the UK and Ireland to win a place in the semi-finals of Slimming World’s Consultant Slimmer of the Year competition.

At his heaviest, Jay weighed over 22st and found both his health and confidence were beginning to suffer.

After losing two stone in two years on his own, his weight loss began to slow, and he was close to giving up. But in 2016, Jay joined his local Slimming World group.

He said: “I was a little nervous when I first walked through the door of my Slimming World group, but it was without doubt one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My whole life is completely different. Before I lost weight, I wasn’t nearly as active as I am now, Slimming World helped me to become so much more active and now I walk every day and play badminton three times a week.”

After reaching his target weight of 13st in May 2017, Jay decided to train to become a Slimming World Consultant himself and now supports more than 100 slimmers.

Jay said: “Before I lost the weight I could never have imagined having the confidence to try new things. My worries about my weight almost consumed me and I found it very difficult to do many of the things that I wanted to, like wearing fashionable clothes or going to theme parks. I used to think that losing weight was one of the best feelings ever – yet helping others to turn their lives around and lose the weight that has held them back for so long is even better! I honestly feel as though I have the best job in the world, and to have reached the semi-finals of the competition as well is just a dream come true.”

Jay’s weight loss put him in the running for Slimming World’s Consultant Slimmer of the Year 2018 competition, which is open to all of the club’s 4,800 consultants who have lost weight in the last 12 months. He attended the finals at the club’s head office in Derbyshire where he was presented with a certificate and gift by Slimming World’s CEO Caryl Richards. The Swanage Slimming World group meets every Wednesday at 5.30-7.30pm at the Mowlem Theatre.